Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Industry and Science, Senator Ronaldson. I refer to the Prime Minister's announcement last week that South Australia will build Australia's future frigates. Given this government has sent the Navy's new supply ships offshore and walked away from a promise to build future submarines in South Australia, isn't it clear that this announcement was designed to save the jobs of the Prime Minister and Mr Pyne, even if that meant sacrificing shipbuilding jobs around Australia?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Carr for his question. It is always nice to get an industry question from Senator Carr, because they are very few and far between, which I am sure Australian workers will have noted if they have been listening to question time. In fact, there are some in the gallery.

There were very significant announcements made last week in relation to the naval shipbuilding plan.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Pyne rescue package.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Either you are interested in hearing the answer or you are going to make stupid interjections like that. If you are interested in shipbuilding in this country, if you are actually interested in shipbuilding jobs, then rather than make very silly, stupid little interjections, why don't you listen to what we have planned for the naval shipbuilding industry? I will also be reminding you of what you did not do for six years in relation to the naval shipbuilding industry.

Over the next two decades Australia will invest over $89 billion to acquire and sustain new submarines, frigates, offshore patrol vessels and other specialist naval vessels. A significant amount of the work to build these new ships will be undertaken in Australia. The Australian naval ship—

Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If it was true, we wouldn't have to read it.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, someone else who does not give a damn about Australian jobs, with childish interjections. The naval shipbuilding plan will start the implementation of an historic continuous build of service warships in Australia. It will begin with the future frigates, which have been brought forward by two years to commence construction in 2020. (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to the Prime Minister's statement that the frigates are coming 'as a first prize to South Australia'. Why should South Australians believe this promise when the Prime Minister has already walked away from his promise to build future submarines in South Australia?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What South Australian workers understand and what South Australian naval workers understand is that under you, Senator Carr, they got the booby prize, not the first prize. They got the booby prize, because you did not start the construction of one naval ship. In six years you did absolutely nothing. As Vice Admiral—

Senator Conroy interjecting—

I think after what the shadow minister did in communications he is probably best keeping very quiet about policy disasters. Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, the Chief of Navy, said recently:

This provides certainty for not just the naval shipbuilding side of things but it also provides certainty for planning, not just within Navy, but within the Australian Defence Force.

Of course, Labor's valley of death, which we all know very, very well, has been described— (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Over the last two years we have seen 610 jobs at Forgacs in Newcastle and hundreds of jobs lost in Williamstown. One of the workers who lost his job is Ben Horan, who is in the visitors gallery today. Can the minister explain to Mr Horan and the other workers in Newcastle and Williamstown why the Prime Minister thinks his job is more important than theirs?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sorry, Ben, that you have lost your job, my friend. But what you will understand is that you have lost your job as a result of the inactivity of the former industry minister and the inactivity of the former government. There is only one person in this chamber who owes Ben an apology, and that is Senator Kim Carr and the Australian Labor Party. It was you that created the valley of death. It was you that did nothing. It was you that sat on your hands and it is we who are going to address this situation. This is the way forward for the shipbuilding industry in this nation.

Senator Kim Carr interjecting—

Senator Conroy interjecting—

The valley of death and what hangs around your neck is plainly obvious for all to see. You should be ashamed of yourself. You should have resigned years ago. We will do something about it. You, my fine feathered friend, did nothing at all. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! We need a bit of a lowering of the voices, on both sides of the chamber.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, Senator Brandis, and on the same topic of naval shipbuilding. Can the Attorney-General inform the Senate about the government's plans for a strong and sustainable naval shipbuilding industry?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Senator Ruston, I can and, in doing so, I want to acknowledge the advocacy of yourself, Senator Sean Edwards, Senator David Fawcett, Senator Simon Birmingham over there and Senator Cory Bernardi. Their advocacy on behalf of their state, South Australia, contributed to the government's decision announced by the Prime Minister last Tuesday—the most important announcement of Australian shipbuilding in Australian history.

The biggest difference, Senator Ruston—you should know—is that we now have a government in Australia that does have a shipbuilding plan. As Senator Michael Ronaldson pointed out—and it cannot be repeated often enough—for six years the Labor government let Australian naval shipbuilding die on the vine. For six years not one warship was commenced in Australia—delay, indecision and procrastination creating a valley of death which it falls to the Abbott government to repair.

What we announced last week was that, over the next two decades, Australia will invest over $89 billion to acquire and sustain new submarines, frigates and offshore patrol vessels and other specialised naval vessels. The centrepiece of the government's naval shipbuilding plan will be the implementation of a historic continuous build of service warships in Australia. That has never happened before, but, as a result of the historic decision announced by the Prime Minister last Tuesday, that will be the future of Australian shipbuilding and that will protect jobs for all time.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Attorney, can you further advise the Senate how the government's plan will generate economic growth and create jobs, particularly in my home state of South Australia?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Save one job—Chris Pyne's!

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The contempt with which Senator Conroy regards the workers of South Australia is manifest for all to see in the chamber today. Why do you so despise the workers of South Australia that you deride a decision which is what people in Adelaide, people in South Australia, have been waiting to hear for a very long time, when on your watch naval shipbuilding in Australia fell into a 'valley of death'?

Senator Ruston, I cannot do better in responding to your question than to quote the words of the Premier of South Australia, Mr Jay Weatherill, who, in response to the announcement, said that this 'creates the continuity and jobs that workers here in this state and around the nation want.' We have avoided the 'valley of death' left to us by the Australian Labor Party, with the announcement that was made by the Prime Minister last Tuesday. (Time expired)

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Senator Brandis, could you further inform the Senate of the coalition government's naval shipbuilding strategy to overcome that 'valley of death' you describe, caused by the Labor Party?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ruston, I am glad you acknowledge that the valley of death, as it has been called—that is, the point at which the expiry of existing contracts means that jobs fall away until the next program can be commenced—was directly a legacy of the Labor government. Both the Secretary of the Department of Defence, Mr Richardson, and the Chief of Defence Force, Mark Binskin, have said that it was necessary, if we were going to avoid the 'valley of death', for these projects to be brought forward. That is not what occurred. For six years nothing was done. So we have brought forward the commencement of the offshore patrol vessels to 2018. We have brought forward the construction of the future frigates to 2020. The future frigates will be built in Adelaide. The government will make decisions in the near future as to the location of the construction of the offshore patrol vessels. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron?

Government senators: Wakey, wakey!